5 Tips & Tricks for a high-productivity-healthy-indoors-lifestyle from a YA Fantasy Romance Author

Hey there!

Last month I posted April’s Writing Update, in which I told you about the changes and improvements I made to my lifestyle — being an author, I’m already used to living indoors… and yet, our current world has forced me to make some changes in order for me to stay healthy, fit, but also productive creatively.

I’d been thinking about sharing my tips and tricks for several weeks now, but wasn’t sure whether I should; I had already seen many similar posts pop up all over the internet, and wasn’t entirely convinced that I could add something new to that.

However, I decided to run a poll in my Instagram story to ask you, my readers, this very question — and, well, after I got a 100% “yes” from several votes, I figured there are people interested out there after all 😉

So — are you ready? In this post I’m going to talk about schedules (nothing neurotic, promise), at home workouts, things that can motivate you and improve your mood, AND, especially, how to maintain a high-productivity.

Let’s go! ❤️

• Indoors High-productivity TIP #1: Schedule your day

To be honest, this is still pretty new to me. Usually I’m not one for living by schedules. I think it actually sounds rather neurotic. AND YET. Because I wanted to keep my productivity high while writing one book and editing another one simultaneously, I decided to give it a try.

Turns out I’m loving it! Besides all-things-bookish, I have also started scheduling my at home workouts. I used to go out for runs and walks (mostly in the mornings), but ever since I can’t anymore, I caught myself slacking off a bit. I still did my indoor workouts in the evenings (I already did those before all this), but my “daylight training” (for a lack of a better description) was kind of non-existent… and I didn’t like that, because my health is important to me, and I actually LOVE working out.

On top of that, I always notice that working out regularly not only makes me stronger physically but mentally as well; it makes me feel fit and alert and focused, which increases my productivity in, yes, writing! (Or any other [creative] profession or hobby you do)

To give you an idea, here’s how such a schedule looks like for, let’s say, a Monday:

• MORNING

— house chores

— edit 15 pages of manuscript

— BREAK: social media check/replying to messages/post something new

— edit 15 pages of manuscript

• AFTERNOON

— write on new manuscript

• EVENING

— make dinner

— 15 minute meditation

And here’s a random Tuesday’s:

• MORNING

— edit 15 pages of manuscript

— WORKOUT: 30 minute HIIT

— edit 15 pages of manuscript

— write blog post

• AFTERNOON

— write on new manuscript

• EVENING

— WORKOUT: 50 minute cardio kickboxing + strength training

Every day is different, so it’s okay to mix it up a bit and make different schedules for each and every day of the week. As you can see, however, I tend to do my editing in the mornings and my writing in the afternoons. This is because A) I’m more focused earlier in the day, and B) writing is more fun for me, so I have something to look forward to later that day 😉

• Indoors High-productivity TIP #1.5: Making a schedule

The first thing you need to figure out is what you want to get done that day. Be realistic, though — don’t plan too much, or you’ll only put yourself under an immense amount of pressure that won’t make you or anyone around you happy.

Try to estimate how much time you need for a certain task. An hour? Several? The entire morning or afternoon?

Once you’ve figured that out, try dividing it into three parts; morning, afternoon, and evening. Of course, you could also consider making some kind of time table — for me, however, that’s a little bit too much. I don’t mind putting some pressure on myself (in fact, that only stimulates me to work harder and get more results in a short amount of time), but to feel like I’m racing against time and having to keep an eye on the clock while working, isn’t really the most relaxed atmosphere to me. BUT: in the end, it’s all up to you as an individual. Find what works best for you ❤️

It’s better to schedule too little for your day rather than too much; that way, you get to have this feeling of accomplishment because you’re able to check off all of those boxes, and maybe even get some extra work done. That feels a whole lot better than ending up with unchecked boxes and feeling like you haven’t done enough, right?

I love writing. I also love to write A LOT — as much as I can each and every day. I love being able to finish not one, not two, but even three chapters a day. It helps me stay in my story’s flow and it keeps the creative process fun.

In order to keep that up, however, I’ve found out some time ago that you need to do some things to keep your energy level high. One of those things is being fit yourself. I’m not saying you need to be some kind of athlete, but science has proven multiple times that exercise helps reducing stress. And what does stress do for you? Absolutely nothing, except making you feel like crap and low on energy.

To get a good workout you don’t need to go to a gym and be surrounded by dozens of sweaty, red-faced people (during these times that’s a bit of a horror scenario, isn’t it?). Actually, you don’t even need to go outside.

Really, you can do it all at home. Don’t worry if you don’t have any fancy equipment; cardio and body-weight workouts, for example, don’t require any equipment at all.

My go-to YouTube channel for this is FitnessBlender. I am a HUGE fan of this channel. It’s run by the couple Kelli and Daniel, and I believe they have 600+ different workouts, as well as warming up and cool down exercises. During the videos, they give many tips for each and every exercise, explaining what to do, and what NOT to do to prevent injury.

One of my favorite no-equipment workouts is most certainly this one:

I know, this is a rather intense workout — but no fear! If you’re not used to working out or just don’t feel like jumping around the room for 50 minutes, there are also some neat low impact workouts out there.

This is a fun one and a great workout (you don’t need to bounce around to get some decent exercise; this works just as well):

If, for whatever reason, you absolutely HATE fitness workouts, there’s always yoga to consider! It’s another great way to stay healthy and keep the energy flowing — I actually love using it as a mid-morning break in between editing manuscripts.

This is a video I especially love — it’s called “detox flow”, but it’s actually not just a detox for the body, but for the mind as well. When I feel like too many thoughts and ideas are crowding my head, this is my go-to video 🙂

Or have you ever considered pilates? (Which is my latest fascination):

Or perhaps tai chi?

• Indoors High-productivity TIP #3: Healthy mind; happy mind

Even if you’re living indoors where there’s little influence from the outside world and even if you don’t have a lot of contact with other people, sometimes your mind can still take a wrong turn and drag you down a road of darkness filled with hungry demons eagerly waiting to tear your heart out.

Okay, so maybe that sounds a bit dramatic, but it CAN feel like that. We all know mood swings. We all know depression, even if it’s only a tiny little bit. The advice you normally get whenever that hits you, is to go outside; take a walk; breathe in some fresh air.

But what if you can’t go outside?

Well, I believe meditation can be a solution — sometimes all you need is to be still for a bit, to reorganize your thoughts, open the drains and let the dirt out, and do some breathing exercises.

Meditation is also great when you’re feeling happy and you’re in a good place, of course! Personally, I’m doing absolutely awesome lately, yet I still like to practice meditation from time to time because I like the sense of calmness it gives me (especially because my brain has gone into overdrive and I have too many new book ideas floating around).

I gotta be honest, I’ve just started doing meditation a bit more seriously since this year, and that’s why I really like guided meditations — you know, in which you’re reminded to not let your brain go monkey-mind on you while you’re actually supposed to empty it.

For that, I turn to Yoga With Adriene once more! This is a video I quite like (it’s a recent one, actually):

Other ways I sometimes use to clear my mind is to simply listen to some music (can be anything), read a book, play a video game, draw something. You just need to find what works best for you at that moment, until you’re feeling grounded and balanced again.

• Indoors High-productivity TIP #4: Stay motivated; remember WHY

This, of course, is an important one.

To me writing is my absolute passion, so I actually don’t need much to stay motivated and keep on doing it — the fresh ideas my mind comes up with constantly are doing a fine job. Next to that, I don’t find it too difficult to stay motivated for my workout routines, because I enjoy them.

I guess that’s the trick to staying motivated for whatever it is you’re doing: simply loving it.

Of course, other people can help inspire you. To me, there are many people in this world who inspire me on a daily basis. One of them, again, is Yoga With Adriene. (I swear I’ve not been hired to advertise her, lol.) The reason she inspires me, however, is her honest, positive attitude; she practically seems to exude happiness, and I guess that’s why she’s so popular. Everyone likes and is attracted to positivity — negativity only drags you down. Her way of living has inspired me and reminds me often to see the good in things, even in the bad, and to be grateful for everything I have rather than be frustrated with the things I don’t have (yet).

This is just one example — there are many more people who I find an inspiration, like some of my fellow indie authors who have published over a 100 books, have an amazing fanbase, and make other people happy with their stories on a daily basis. Seeing and reading about those things motivate me immensely; it literally sends my heart racing, and gives me a boost and the courage to chase my dreams as an author.

However… while others can inspire you, the BEST way to stay truly motivated for whatever you’re working on every single day (while at home and indoors), I believe that your true motivation and inspiration has to come from yourself.

Huh, what?

Yes.

All you have to do is remember WHY.

Why are you doing this? Why have you begun working toward your goal? Why have you decided to start chasing your dreams?

That answer alone should be enough to keep your fire burning — and stay productive 😉

• Indoors High-productivity TIP #5: Give yourself a break

We’ve reached the final tip, which is going to be a very short, very simple one:

While being indoors all (or at least most of) the time, it can be very tempting to keep going constantly. To keep up the productivity. To not stop working, because home is where the work is happening, and you have to keep on going—

Well, yeah, to achieve your goals, working hard is important. But to keep up your productivity and to stay healthy — physically and mentally — sometimes you need to give yourself a break.

Some days you have to tell your schedules to go to hell. Some days you have to allow yourself to slump down on the couch and read a book, play a video game, or watch a movie or series.

And that’s okay.

It took me a while to realize this. The first few years of my author-life I kept on going 24/7, and felt bad and even guilty whenever I took a bit of time off, feeling like I wasn’t doing enough to achieve my goals, like I was wasting my time. That’s why I even had a hard time doing regular workouts, because as long as something didn’t have anything to do with my writing, it felt like a waste of time.

The thing is, though — it isn’t.

Because you only live this life once and you’re allowed to have fun with things that don’t have anything to do with your passions or dreams. Because working out doesn’t merely make me stronger physically, but mentally as well, which also makes me a better writer, because it makes my mind clear, which helps me work faster.

Give yourself a break sometimes. Allow yourself some rest. You’re not a machine — no matter how productive you wish to be, you’re still just a person, and some days you’ll feel better or stronger than others. And that’s totally cool 🙂

All right! With this, we have reached this very lengthy blog post, in which I’ve explained my top 5 tips and tricks for a high-productivity-healthy-indoors-lifestyle.

Of course, everyone is different. What works well for me, might not work at all for you. Still, I hope you may be able to get something out of my tips, or at least got inspired to improve your own way of living.

Or perhaps it’s already totally awesome and you don’t need to change a thing. In that case — keep it up! 😉

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this! Tell me, have some of my tips inspired you? Or do you have a trick of your own that works well? Feel free to leave a message! Also, if you think a friend might benefit from this post, please share~!

BE CREEPY. STAY FREAKY.

— Lynn

PS. Just to be clear — although I stated that you don’t even need to go outdoors to get some healthy exercise done, I didn’t mean that you shouldn’t ever go outside. After all, in normal circumstances, being outdoors is good for your health as we all need sunlight and vitamins. So, as soon as it’s safe to venture out again… please do 😉

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Posted by Lynn Robin

2 comments

WOW! That’s some great working/training/meditation scheme you have set up! Amazing to see that you do all of this everyday: RESPECT!! Thank you for this – so kind of you to share! Also thank you for all the videos too, very inspiring and encouraging material – I will give your ideas/lifstyle a go 🙂 Have BIG fun with writing your ALWAYS amazing books and stories! Stay careful and heathy Lynn Robin 🙂

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About Lynn Robin

Lynn Robin is an author of Dark Fantasy Upper Young Adult novels.

She made her debut in 2017 with her Dutch series entitled the Schimmenwereld Serie (the Phantom World series). With the fourth installment, Schimmendroom (Phantom Dream), she won the Best Book of 2018 award chosen by the jury of The Dutch Indie Awards.

In 2019 she debuted internationally in English with her short story JODI COLLINS, which is a prequel to the 2020 release INSOMNIA, the first book in the Insomnia Saga.

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About Lynn Robin

Lynn Robin is an author of Dark Fantasy Upper Young Adult novels.

She made her debut in 2017 with her Dutch series entitled the Schimmenwereld Serie (the Phantom World series).With the fourth installment, Schimmendroom (Phantom Dream), she won the Best Book of 2018 award chosen by the jury of The Dutch Indie Awards.

In 2019 she debuted internationally in English with her short story JODI COLLINS, which is a prequel to the 2020 release INSOMNIA, the first book in the Insomnia Saga.